This spring, the quarterback depth at Stanford will be a tad shallow. K.J. Costello will be held out of spring practices due to a hip injury, according to Bruce Feldman of Sports Illustrated.

Costello was Stanford’s leading quarterback in 2017 with 1,573 passing yards and 14 touchdowns with four interceptions. Costello ended the season with 212 passing yards and three touchdowns in a bowl loss against TCU after throwing for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the Pac-12 championship game loss against USC. He passed for four touchdowns in a 38-20 victory over Notre Dame in the regular season finale. Costello will still be projected to be Stanford’s starting quarterback in the fall.

While Costello is out of action during the spring, David Shaw will get a chance to get some reps in for backup options Davis Mills and Jack Richardson. That will be essential because neither quarterback will enter the fall with a single pass attempt. Keller Chryst has left the Cardinal as a graduate transfer, although it remains unknown where he will be playing in the fall at this time.

National Signing Day — Part II — is pretty much in the books, wrapping up another wild day in college football as we find out where the game’s next stars will be playing at. While the Class of 2018 was the first with an early signing period, there was still plenty of action on the traditional first Wednesday in February date and scores of coaches across the country will be able to claim their teams got much better with the next wave of recruits on board.

Sorting through all the announcements and tallying up the multitude of recruiting numbers, here are a few takeaways from National Signing Day:

1. Top Dawgs

Kirby Smart finished second last season but was second to none when it came to recruiting this cycle.

Georgia finished with the consensus top-ranked recruiting class in 2018 and pretty much picked up where they left off in the early signing period. The Bulldogs landed five-star cornerback Tyson Campbell, flipped both Otis Reese (previously committed to Michigan) and Quay Walker (Alabama), plus went into Texas to grab a pledge from lengthy wideout Tommy Bush. And that was just on Wednesday morning. All told the team is bringing in a CFB-high seven (yeah, seven) five-star recruits in this cycle and 15 others who are ranked as four-stars. Whether it’s by sheer volume or by average star rating, this is one of the best recruiting classes any program has put together and a pretty incredible feather in Smart’s hat. While the good news in February probably won’t take all the sting out of what happened in Atlanta last month, it sure does help to smooth the pain a little and keep the Bulldogs in the running for SEC titles and playoff appearances for years to come.

2. Alabama double-take

One of the most bizarre sights when the dust settled on signing day was the placement of Alabama at No. 7 in the 247Sports‘ team rankings. That puts an end to one of the more remarkable streaks in college football as the Crimson Tide had hauled in the top-ranked class every year since 2011 and finished outside the top three for the first time since Nick Saban’s initial class in Tuscaloosa. No one will be crying for the national champions however, especially not with three true freshman keying that comeback against Georgia in the title game. Alabama still landed top cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr., who could start right away with the team given what the depth chart looks like going into the season. Still, it was strange to see the program that had been a recruiting juggernaut lose battles to Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, Stanford and USC. Saban made several staff changes this offseason that were no doubt aimed at getting better on the recruiting trail so this dip is probably temporary but it was nevertheless strange to see the Tide not crushing everybody like they normally do on and off the field.

3. USC’s big day

Death, taxes, and USC rolling up commitments on National Signing Day. The Trojans once again had a frenzy of top-ranked players don the cardinal and gold on Wednesday, including the majority of the big hitters in their backyard. Everybody already knew five-star quarterback J.T. Daniels had reclassified from 2019 to 2018 to bolster the class but the team also added four-star teammate Solomon Tuliaupupu,landed the services of five-star corner Olaijah Griffin then secured another top player in four-star corner Isaac Taylor-Stuart. Just as important, they leapfrogged Pac-12 rivals Washington, Oregon and UCLA. While the fan base may not have been thrilled at Clay Helton receiving a new contract yesterday, the results on Signing Day may have them reconsidering.

4. Dabo does it again

The biggest commitment Dabo Swinney and Clemson received came last month when three potential first round picks along the defensive line announced they would return to school for another season. Add that group to yet another top 10 class and the Tigers look like they’ll remain in the nation’s elite for years to come. Two of the top three recruits in the country are already on campus and Clemson signed the top-ranked player from a whopping six states, including plucking five-star wideout Justyn Ross out of Alabama and away from the Crimson Tide. Only Georgia signed more five-stars and you’d be hard pressed to find many teams with a better average than this group.

5. Jimbo Fisher and Willie Taggart close strong

The biggest mover from the first signing period to today appears to be Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M. After getting behind the eight-ball with his hire coming a little late in the cycle, the Aggies went on a roll to close strong with the class of 2018. They landed Louisiana TE Glenn Beal over Tennessee and others, plucked Jeremiah Martin out of California, got four-star QB James Foster and flipped DL Bobby Brown from Alabama among other moves. It will still take time for the new regime in College Station to establish ties in the state of Texas but as far as first recruiting classes go, it was a heck of a first effort from Fisher and company.

As for the guy who took his old job at Florida State, Willie Taggart delivered one of the other big surprises in the team rankings as the Seminoles moved from the 30’s in the team rankings into the top 12. They won the battle for Jamarcus Chatman over in-state rival Miami and also secured the signature of four-star defensive end Malcolm Lamar among other moves but were very active in locking up another talented class despite not having much time to work with. Perhaps just as importantly, it looks like FSU is already rolling with the class of 2019 and will be a force to be reckoned with all those quality recruiters on staff.

6. Texas returns to the top

Up the road in Austin, second-year coach Tom Herman appears to have the Longhorns back among the elite recruiters in college football this year after trending downward the past few years. UT finished with a consensus top three class and landed some impact players in the secondary with a pair of five-star safeties. Even more notable is how the program cleaned up in-state, landing 11 of the top 15 players in Texas.

7. Michigan’s disappointing effort

In a way, the Wolverines’ recruiting mirrored their most recent season and finished on a down note. Jim Harbaugh does have a pretty good roster coming back to Ann Arbor for 2018 but it was a bit of a head turner to see the team ranked No. 21st in the 247Sports’ team rankings after so much talk about the program the past few years. They finished well behind division rivals Ohio State and Penn State in the rankings and failed to land a top 100 prospect. To add insult to injury, they lost five-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere to the Buckeyes and saw their highest rated commit flip to Georgia. Not exactly attacking recruiting with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.

This was the first class that could sign early in December so from players to coaches to parents, the altered recruiting cycle was an adjustment period for just about everybody. While the vast majority of players decided to put pen to paper in the first period, there was still plenty of drama left for recruiting junkies to get excited about in January and February despite worries there would not be. It’s still too early to pull out some big takeaways from how everything is going to play out long-term given all of the unique factors involved in the Class of 2018, but it’s possible we’ll see some tweaks in strategy from programs large and small going forward. One thing is for certain, teams are not wasting any time getting started with the Class of 2019 and the team that sits atop the 247Sports’ rankings this year is the same one that is in pole position next year as Georgia already has seven commitments — all four-stars or better. As we know though, it’s a long road between now and then.

It will take a bit for Stanford to realize the benefits of it, but the Cardinal landed a fairly significant Herbie Hancock Wednesday morning.

Entering National Signing Day, Tanner McKee was the highest-rated unsigned recruit at the quarterback position. The California high schooler was rated as the No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the country and the No. 46 prospect overall.

While Alabama, BYU, Texas, Texas A&M and Washington were viewed as potential landing spots, Stanford was viewed as the overwhelming favorite to land the signal-caller. In the end, McKee did the expected and projected, confirming that he will, eventually, head down to The Farm.

As has previously been reported, McKee will serve a two-year LDS mission before enrolling in college. That means he won’t be available to the Cardinal until the 2020 season — provided he doesn’t change his mind in the interim and moves on to another program, of course.

Beginning with the 2011 cycle, Alabama has pulled in the top-ranked recruiting class according to 247Sports.com’s composite team rankings each and every one of those years. With National Signing Day, Part 2, on tap Wednesday, that streak of seven straight recruiting crowns is very likely coming to an end.

The last time the Crimson Tide didn’t finish with the top-ranked class, they were fourth in 2010; the worst finish under Saban came in his first year in Tuscaloosa (2007, No. 12). UA also pulled in the No. 3 classes in 2008 and 2009.

All is not lost for Saban & Company in 2018, though. Maybe — especially if more four-stars decommit like one did overnight.

After the first-ever early signing period this past December, four five-star prospects remain unsigned. Three of those four — cornerbacks Patrick Surtain Jr. (No. 6 on 247Sports.com‘s composite board) and Tyson Campbell (No. 12) as well as offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere (No. 7) — have Alabama as finalists. According to most recruitniks, however, Surtain and Campbell landing anywhere other than LSU and Georgia, respectively, would be more than a mild upset.

The top unsigned quarterback in this class, Corona Calif., high schooler Tanner McKee (No. 46), also has Alabama in his group of five finalists, which also includes Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M and Washington. The Cardinal is viewed as the front-runner for a player who whichever team he signs with will have to wait on as McKee will serve a two-year LDS mission before enrolling in college.

All told, there are 29 four-star recruits who remain unsigned, so the team recruiting rankings outside of Alabama will certainly change throughout the course of the day. One thing, though, is a near-certainty — Alabama’s reign as the Kings of Crootin’ will surely (for now) to come to an end.

Guess they’ll just have to take solace in getting sized for yet another national championship ring. Poor fellers.

Stanford running back Bryce Love added one more piece of hardware to his collection for the 2017 season on Saturday evening. Love was named the recipient of the Lombardi Award, becoming the first player in Stanford history to win the award in recognition of his performance on the field and leadership.

Love was one of seven finalists for the award this season. Other finalists included Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville, Saquon Barkley of Penn State, Minkah Fitzpatrick of Alabama, Joel Lanning of Iowa State, and Shaquem Griffin of UCF. The criteria for the award opened the award up to more positions as opposed to the previous restrictions to focus on interior linemen and linebackers. Beginning with this year’s award, the Lombardi Award was more of an overall player of the year accolade.

Honored to be this years recipient of the Lombardi award. Special thanks to the Lombardi Foundation, Family, and everyone else involved! ✊🏾

Love had previously been awarded the Doak Walker Award as the top running back in the nation in addition to being named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American. The Pac-12’s leading rusher, Love rushed for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns to help lead Stanford into the Pac-12 championship game. Love was also the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.